Noob in trouble!

when I got a new account, I made a character of each class in nightfall and factions and did the first few quests (missions) with them just to unlock a few skills for the heroes you get in nightfall (so a warrior, monk, ranger and/or ele would be good) ...I did delete those toons since I made them just to unlock a few skills.... You dont have to keep your characters--so dont feel bad if you wish to delete a few of them (you get enough character spaces to make and try a few professions out).

what I would suggest is make a character in nightfall...and when you get to the secondary profession time---try all of the secondaries--talk to ALL of the other profession trainers (dont make a final decision on it!)...that way a few of each classes skills will get unlocked....and any skill that you have unlocked can be used by a hero with that class (primary or secondary).

and yeah, until you have unlocked some good skills heroes arent going to be very useful, the henchmen have full skills bars (well they have skills---)...so they will be better in the beginning.

Yes, the value of the drops from foes increases as you advance. Personally, I always keep at least three kinds of kits with me at all times -- a regular ID Kit, regular Salvage Kit and an Expert Salvage Kit. Merchant NPCs in the towns you come across should be selling all three of these at the point your warrior is at.

IDing drops (esp the colored ones) increases their sale value at the merchant and reveals mods that you might be able to use for yourself or your heroes. Some will say "highly salvagable" on them and that means they can be salvaged with a reg Salvage kit for a bit more common/uncommon materials than ones that don't (tho it can be hit or miss sometimes). The Expert Salvage Kit is to pull mods you might want off a drop. There is a chance you'll break/destroy the item you pull the mod off but it lets you get some nice runes/insignias/weapon modifiers that you can use later.

Several ppl have given you the link to the official GW Wiki. If you want to see what a drop can be salvaged into, use the Search box on the front page of the wiki. Wiki users have created an extensive list of all the known drops and the materials they can be salvaged for. Some materials are worth a bit of pocket change when sold to other players if you don't need them for your own use -- granite, iron, glittering dust, feathers, plant fibers. That's because they're used to create consumable buffs used in end game areas.

Also, if you are not already in one or looking for one...try to find a helpful guild. There are still a decent number of guilds that advertise in outposts such as Lions Arch, Kaineng or Kamadan. A helpful guild means ppl who can answer your questions a bit faster than posting it on guru (if you're under a time crunch) or jump in and lend a hand with a mission or quest.